


Love is the Best Topping on the Pizza Slice of Life

by FleurDEspoir



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Delivery Boy AU, I'm not really sure why I wrote this, Multi, Pizza, might accidentally be a little OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:11:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleurDEspoir/pseuds/FleurDEspoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chrom falls in love with the pizza delivery boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love is the Best Topping on the Pizza Slice of Life

The dull chime of the doorbell echoed throughout the spacious house, which caused a current of elated whooping and relieved sighs to pass among the lively party-goers. Everyone had been anticipating this moment, when a messenger from the Gods of Plegia's Pizza would deliver unto them sacred boxes forged with greasy cardboard. Contained inside of each one is the divine cuisine of the Gods themselves, which, according to Lissa, is essential to every house party. "Without pizza," she had said before any of their friends arrived, "we may as well be holding a funeral!"

So, Chrom turned away from the spectacle Vaike was making of himself as he tried to lift Sumia above his head with one hand and headed toward the door to retrieve the long-awaited meal. Upon Frederick's insistence, everyone had contributed a few dollars to cover the cost, even though Chrom's family was quite wealthy and he or one of his sisters could have afforded it themselves. But no matter how hard Chrom tried to convince him of this, Frederick would not be deterred, and in the end Chrom had no choice but to reluctantly accept the money with an embarrassed thanks. He was quite fond of Frederick, but there were times where he couldn't tell if then man was his best friend or his mother.

Chrom took a couple seconds to gather the sloppy mound of bills into his fist before he opened the door, though he immediately dropped every single one once he saw who was standing behind it. The delivery boy did indeed seem to be a holy messenger, or perhaps even a God himself. He appeared to be around Chrom's own age, though a lot smaller in stature and physique. He was sporting the signature black shirt with purple and gold highlights from his company, which contrasted greatly with his fair complexion. Locks of white hair poked put from beneath his baseball cap, curling around his ears and the nape of his neck. His eyes were the color of cinnamon, and the smile he wore was polite yet warm, the perfect additions to an already pretty face.

Together, Chrom and the pizza boy watched as money fluttered to the floor. The eyebrows of the pizza boy rose, though he didn't appear to be annoyed. In fact, much to Chrom's chagrin, he looked rather amused as Chrom knelt down and fumbled to gather everything back in order. He silently cursed himself for foolishly accepting all the one-dollar bills instead of exchanging them for fives or tens. In the other room, he could hear Vaike loudly challenging Sully and Stahl to a pizza eating contest, and Maribelle just as loudly expressing her disdain for the idea. He almost wished one of them had gotten the door instead, even though it was his house they were in. It was possible he was being over dramatic, but making a fool of himself in front of the attractive pizza boy was honestly something he would have rather avoided.

Standing up and clearing his throat, Chrom faced the pizza boy once more, praying that his flushed cheeks weren't too visible in the dim evening light. Thankfully, the boy gave no indication of noticing Chrom's apparent distress as he relayed the order to ensure he hadn't brought it to the wrong house. "One large cheese, three large pepperoni, and one large half pineapple, half mushrooms?"

Even his voice was charming. All Chrom could do was mumble and affirmation and relieve the boy of the heavy boxes, which he seemed grateful for. Chrom put them on the ground beside him and handed over the money, watching as the boy swiftly began to count through. "Sorry for all the ones. Payment today was a... Group effort."

The pizza boy shrugged and pocketed the cash when he finished, offering another one of his nice smiles. It was a sight that Chrom knew he wouldn't be able to keep his mind off of for the remainder of the night. "Surprisingly, I've encountered worse," the pizza boy said. "Must be an interesting party, at least."

Whether he was referring to the irrational use of one-dollar bills, the rowdy voices coming from the back, or the sweater with an entire sleeve missing that Chrom now regretted even keeping in the first place, let alone wearing at this moment, he wasn't sure.

"Yeah, well, there are some  _interesting_ guests attending," he responded, just as Miriel announced from the other room that she had conducted several experiments and could safely come to the conclusion that, no, Kellam was not actually part ghost.

The pizza boy chucked, and Chrom grinned, pleased with himself for having been able to make the boy laugh. "Have a nice night," he called as he headed back toward his car, and Chrom responded in kind.

It wasn't until the boy had returned to his car and was halfway out of the driveway that Chrom remembered he hadn't given a tip. It was the one thing Frederick had actually let him pay for. For a moment, he wanted to let it go instead of making a big deal out of it, but he got the sudden feeling that he absolutely could not let the pizza boy go without getting his tip.  _It's a moral obligation_ , he tried to convince himself as he threw open the door and ran outside. It certainly was  _not_ just because the pizza boy was absurdly cute.

"Wait! Hold on!" he shouted, dashing across his lawn. The pizza boy seemingly hadn't heard him and began to turn left onto the quiet side street Chrom lived on. Bracing himself, Chrom extended his arms and slammed into the driver-side door of the vehicle, just as it was beginning to accelerate. Immediately, the pizza boy hit the brakes, and Chrom stumbled back a bit from the impact. Through the car's window he could see the boy swiveling his head around wildly in search of the noise's source.

Suddenly, Chrom felt very silly, chasing down the pizza guy just to give him a tip. It wasn't like he wouldn't get tips elsewhere. As good looking as he was, he was bound to earn more than the average delivery person anyway. Was it worth it to have scared the boy half to death just to give him a few extra dollars? He considered running back inside and pretending it didn't just happen, but the pizza boy had spotted him and was now rolling down his window, not looking quite as amicable as he had earlier. Chrom groaned at his silly impulsiveness, which he tended to do often, and walked toward the window. There was no getting out of this one.

The pizza boy looked up, confused and, understandably, a little frightened. "Is there a problem?"

"Actually," Chrom admitted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the extra money that he had kept separate from the rest, "I forgot to give you a tip."

The pizza boy looked between the money and Chrom, looking utterly perplexed and at a complete loss for words. Each second that ticked by made Chrom want to kick himself even harder for doing something this ridiculous. In the end, he decided on a simple "Seriously?"

Hesitantly, Chrom answered, "Yes?"

The boy began to giggle, at first so softly that Chrom was unable to decipher the trembling of his shoulders and mouth as the foretelling of laughter or crying. It turned out to be both, as his giggling rapidly escalated to cackling and then again to frenzied laughter. It bubbled up and around and everywhere, filling the space between the two and replacing some of the awkwardness within Chrom with something lighter. Tears sprang into the boy's eyes, and even though Chrom's face was burning again, his regret for doing this was fading away.

"You mean to tell me," the pizza boy managed to get out after he had calmed down some, "that you ran into my car just to give me my tip?"

Chrom's arm was still extended in offering, the money in hand. "I-I guess so, yes."

"Okay," the pizza boy breathed out, finally regaining some composure. "Okay. Thank you." He took the few dollars from Chrom's hand and tossed it into the cup holder beside him, still getting over the last few waves of giggles.

Chrom took a few steps away from the car and held his hand in the air in a halfhearted wave. The pizza boy waved back with more enthusiasm. "See you around," he said around a mouthful of extra laughter before pulling away and disappearing down the street, likely now late to his next delivery.

Chrom stood there in the road for a little longer, staring at the spot where he last saw the car before it turned the corner and he lost sight of it. During that moment, he thought he had made a mistake, running out and stopping the car like that. But he had made the boy laugh again, hadn't he? And what was it he had said before he left?  _See you around_. In those three words, he found something to hold on to. Perhaps it was a chance to redeem himself, to prove that he wasn't as lame as he just displayed. Or perhaps it was simply a chance to hear that beautiful sound again, the one that made him feel so genuinely happy.

He continued to stand there, lost in reflection, until he heard his older sister calling for him from inside the house. With once last glance down the road, he made his way back inside, back toward his friends who might have eaten all the pizza already, unless Frederick managed to save him a slice. His sister gave him a questioning look as he shut the door behind him. He sheepishly avoided her gentle gaze as he mumbled, "I needed to give him a tip."

Emmeryn smiled, seeming to understand. She always somehow knew. Chrom was about to move past her, back into the main room where he could hear everyone arguing over what movie to watch, when she posed one final question. "Did you get his name?"

The din of the party-goers was quickly silenced by the loud _slap_ of Chrom's palm slamming against his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little past midnight and I'm not really sure what this is, but thank you for reading anyway! More chapters to come!


End file.
